The other night we had a friend over for dinner and I served cornbread along with a delicious pork tenderloin. Well, the cornbread was good, but, honestly, not great.

Tonight I sought out a better cornbread recipe. And while I almost never cook off of internet-published recipes outside of a few of my favorite blogs (here and here), this particular recipe from allrecipes.com stood out and is now my go-to recipe for skillet cornbread. It will be yours, too.

Grandmother’s Buttermilk Cornbread
Courtesy of Bethany Weathersby on allrecipes.com

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 t. baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 t. salt

• Preheat oven to 375° and place a greased (butter or canola oil or bacon grease or lard will all do fine) 8″ or 9″ cast-iron skillet on the middle rack. Alternatively you can use a greased 8″ square baking dish, but don’t pre-heat it.
• In a large skillet, melt the butter then remove from heat and whisk in white sugar until well incorporated. The mixture won’t really be smooth, as the sugar won’t completely dissolve.
• Quickly add in the eggs and whisk vigorously lest you risk cooking the eggs.
• Mix the baking soda and the buttermilk in a small bowl, then whisk into the butter mixture.
• Add both the cornmeal and the flour, and stir until combined, but still slightly lumpy.
• Now would be a good time to add in a little herbs or black pepper, maybe some bacon grease, or cayenne pepper if you want. Otherwise…
• Pour mixture into the cast iron skillet and bake for 30-40 minutes. Start checking at 25 minutes, though. When a knife comes out clean, the cornbread is done.
• Immediately turn the cornbread out onto a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes before serving.
• Serve with honey butter (recipe follows)

Honey Butter

Honey
Butter, softened
Herbs (optional, but thyme or sage are great choices)

• Combine ingredients.
• Serve over cornbread.

I’m not usually a fan of boneless pork chops. Well, boneless anything I guess usually doesn’t sit right with me, because that’s where all the flavor is. But a recent trip to Trader Joe’s and a hankering for pork chops left me one option: thin, center-cut, boneless pork chops, or in other-words: opportunity. (tacky, I know).

In this method, you’re not actually “stuffing” pork chops, but rather two thin chops tied into a sandwich with stuffing in the middle.

But seriously, this recipe has fall written all over it, and really is delicious alongside some sweet potato fries and a quick green salad. Enjoy!

Stuffed Boneless Pork Chops

4 thin, boneless center-cut chops

1/2 apple (granny smith, gala, fuji, etc.), skin-on, minced

2 T. fresh goat cheese, or other flavorful melting cheese

1/4 c. toasted almonds, crushed

1/2 c. whole fresh cranberries or cranberry sauce

• Pre-heat oven to 325°
• Season pork chops liberally with kosher salt and pepper
• Place one chop on a cutting board and smooth it out with your fingers. Place about a tablespoon of the minced apples on top and evenly distribute, leaving a small border around the edge.
• Top the apples with a small amount of goat cheese, again about 1 tablespoon, then top with roughly the same amount of almonds. Use your fingers to smooth them out.
• Place second pork chop on top of the stuffing and press down gently, pushing back any stuffing that tries to escape!
• Using butchers twine, tie the chops together cross-wise using two or three lengths of twine. You can, in fact, skip this step, but you’ll have to be very careful when flipping the chops in later steps.
• Repeat these steps for the other two chops and remaining stuffing.
• Heat a small amount of olive oil in an oven-proof pan, cast iron if you have it, otherwise any skillet will do.
• Saute stuffed chops for 4 minutes or so per side, until nicely golden brown. At this point, the cheese will very likely be melting out of the center. Don’t worry about it.
• Place cranberries or cranberry sauce, along with a small amount (say, 3 or 5 tablespoons) of water in the pan around the chops.
• Place skillet in the oven and cook until the chops are done, just slightly pink in the center, about 5 minutes depending on thickness. Since the chops are so thin it really won’t take long, so don’t go off and paint the bathroom or anything.
• Remove the twine and serve with something delicious.

Make breakfast!

I’ll give credit where it’s due on this one. One of my favorite blogs, Smitten Kitchen covered Spaghetti Squash recently. And while I drop-kicked the Moroccan part in exchange for some delicious roasted garlic, it was the perfect companion to some spicy curried pulled pork.

Check it out.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Okay, you can do this in the oven, and I don’t want to discourage you from doing it. But there’s something really wonderful about throwing a pork shoulder in the slow cooker before leaving for the office and coming home smelling like you’ve been slaving over the stove for hours.

6-8 pound Boston Butt (also called a blade shoulder)
About 1/4 cup curry powder, preferably homemade.
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 T. white wine vinegar

• 24-48 hours before you’re ready to cook, rub the pork shoulder on all sides with the curry powder. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until you’re ready.
• In the bowl of a crock pot, place chicken broth, vinegar, and pork shoulder. Turn the meat over to moisten all sides.
• Turn the cock pot on low and cover. Cook for 8-10 hours. (That’s right, go to work, play with the dog, watch a movie, whatever)
• The pork is done when the meat gives little resistance to a knife. The bone should slide right off.
• Transfer the pork to a platter and shred with two forks. Add a 1/3 cup of the accumulated liquid from the crock pot and toss to combine. Serve.

To do this in an oven, it’s not that much different.

• Pre-heat oven to 300°.
• Place pork shoulder, uncovered, in a baking dish.
• You can baste it occasionally if you want, but really, you don’t have to.
• Cook for 6 hours or until the pork is tender, then shred (as above).

Serve under a haystack of Garlicky Spaghetti Squash; the recipe follows.

Garlicky Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash
2 T. butter
5 gloves roasted garlic (or 3 minced fresh gloves)
Kosher salt and pepper

• Preheat oven to 375°
• Split the squash in half and scoop out seeds.
• Place face down on an oiled baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes or until squash is tender.
• While squash is cooking, melt butter in a small saucepan and add garlic. If using roasted garlic, smash the cloves into the butter to break it up somewhat. If using fresh garlic, saute until just brown, then turn off the heat.
• When squash is done, scoop out the flesh using a fork into a large bowl. Fluff the squash with the fork to break up large pieces into thin strands.
• Add a pinch of kosher salt, and a few turns of freshly cracked pepper.
• Add the butter garlic mixture and toss with a fork until incorporated.

I recommend serving little haystacks of this wonderful spaghetti squash on top of a big pile of pulled pork. You’ll love it.

Updated: Photo below

Mmmmm, duck breast.

We’re entertaining some friends for dinner in a few weeks and I’m trying out some new recipes now to find the perfect dinner to serve. This duck breast comes very close. The nice thing about duck is that it, basically, takes care of it self. The flavor of the meat, even the breast, is so delicious that it needs little more than salt and pepper.

In the photo below, the duck is sitting on a potato leek puree. It didn’t work out quite like I had planned and was more like a soup than a puree, but still delicious. Homemade sweet potato and red potato chips garnished the plate.

Seared Duck Breast

2 duck breasts
Salt and pepper

• Pre-heat the oven to 350°
• With a sharp paring knife, score the skin on the duck breasts, creating a diagonal cross-hatch. Just cut the skin, not the flesh of the breast.
• Season the breasts well with salt and pepper. Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.
• Heat a small amount of vegetable oil in a oven-proof skillet over medium high heat.
• When the oil is very hot (look for ripples in the oil and it should be mildly fragrant as well) place the duck breasts skin-side down and sear for three to four minutes or until well browned.
• Turn the duck breasts over and sear the other side for two minutes.
• Place in the oven and roast until medium-rare,  between 8 and 10 minutes.
• Take the duck breasts out of the oven and transfer them to a plate to rest for five minutes.
• Serve.

While I didn’t do it myself, here’s a chance to introduce a quick pan sauce that could make a wonderful touch. Given that these breasts weren’t seasoned with anything but salt and pepper, your possibilities are endless, but here’s the technique:

While the duck breasts are resting, place the skillet back over medium heat with a teaspoon of oil. Add shallots or garlic or herbs or spices. After a minute or two add a deglazing liquid of your choice. Great options include: wine (red or white), chicken stock, orange juice, soy sauce and honey, or even water. Bring to a simmer and then add cornstarch (first make a slurry of 1/8 t. cornstarch and 1 T. cold water). The sauce will quickly thicken. Drizzle over the duck breasts.

Enjoy!

After a long Halloween weekend, I flipped on the Food Network and watched a bit of The Next Iron Chef. This week’s episode was all about Indian cuisine. It provided the inspiration for last night’s dinner.

Now, please understand, I’m not really familiar with Indian food outside of restaurants, so it took quite a bit of reading (mostly from Mark Bittman’s The Best Recipes in the World) to tweak my concept. Okay, and the Dal is basically stolen from him.

The inspiration for the curry dish comes from my godmother, Barbara Lesch McCaffry, who makes a banana yam dish for Thanksgiving every year. I figured that a nice Indian curry would be a nice reinterpretation of the dish.

I was right.

We start with the Coconut Dal because it takes more than a few minutes to make. I should have fired up the pressure cooker for this one.

1 lb lentils
1 c. coconut milk or unsweetened shredded coconut  (I used the latter, but added a spoonful of the coconut milk because I’m a rebel)
1/2 c. brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

• Place all ingredients except the salt and pepper in a large pot
• Pour enough water to cover the lentils by 2-3 inches and bring to a boil
• Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and cook for 60 – 75 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
• Add more water as needed to keep the lentils at least an inch under water.
• If the water begins to simmer too violently, turn down the heat. A gentle simmer will keep the lentils from breaking apart.
• When lentils are tender, add salt and pepper. Serve.

Sweet Potatoes with Banana-Coconut Curry

2 medium sized sweet potatoes, roasted in a 350° oven until tender, but not mushy, then peeled and sliced into half-moons
2 medium bananas, also sliced on the bias
2 T. curry powder, homemade preferred (recipe to follow)
1/2 c. coconut milk

• In a nonstick skillet, heat a small amount of olive oil. Saute sweet potatoes with the oil for a few seconds, then add the curry powder.
• Continue to saute the sweet potatoes and curry powder until fragrant. Add banana slices and toss to coat banana with curry powder.
• Add coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 2 minutes or until thick and bubbly.
• Serve.

Homemade Curry Powder

(also from Mark Bittman’s The Best Recipes in the World)

1 t. black peppercorns
3 cloves
3 seeds from white cardamom pods
1 T. cumin seeds
1 T. coriander seeds
1 T. fennel seeds
2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. cayenne, or to taste
1 t. ground fenugreek
2 t. ground turmeric

• Combine the peppercorns, cloves, and seeds in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly browned and fragrant, just a few minutes; for the last minute of cooking, add the powdered spices.
• Cool, then grind to a fine powder in a spice or coffee grinder. Alternatively, put in a plastic bag and crush into a powder using a rolling pin. It’s not quite as good, but a decent alternative. A mortar and pestle works, too.
• Store in a tightly covered opaque container for several months in a cool, dark place.

Continuing with dishes meant for Fall, here’s a great, quick flashback to the poached salmon you’ve, I’m sure, already whipped up several times since reading my blog.

Tonight we took a slight adaptation, but one that I think boosts the flavors (and the fat) to perfection.

Poached Salmon with Lemon and Dill

1 or 2 large filets of salmon, skin-on
Fresh sprigs of dill
1 lemon, thinly sliced into half moons and seeds removed
2 T. butter, sliced thinly
3/4 c. dry white wine
Kosher salt

• Pre-heat oven to 350°
• In a 13″ x 9″ baking dish (or another large enough to comfortably hold the salmon filets without them touching each other, place the salmon filets skin side down.
• Liberally salt the filets with kosher salt
• Top with the fresh dill, lemon wedges, and butter
• Pour wine over the top of the filets. It should be enough for a thin layer of wine covering the bottom of the dish baking dish.
• Cover with tin foil and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the fish is just barely done in the center. A little dark pink is a good thing, as it will continue to cook after you remove from the oven.
• Serve, with all the dill and lemon still on top.

Why the higher temperature for this recipe? Well, the wine will be chilled when you pour it on, so the higher oven temperature will help bring the poaching liquid up to temperature faster. When using wine (or chicken broth), I think this helps permeate the flesh with the flavors of the wine a little better.

Enjoy! Here’s what you’re aiming for:

You’re probably going to see a few repetitions this season in my menu. Why? I’m a seasonal cook. I really like to take advantage of the ingredients that are available, and that’s especially true in the fall.

Okay so it’s true that I hang on to the last days of summer (I bought plums last week just hoping they’d be good), but now that summer is actually, finally over, it’s time for tarts and pies and roasts and all the trimmings.

Last night was pork chops, tonight whole legs of chicken, cooked much the same way as the chops in terms of seasonings and marinade. What I really want to share with you is this amazing side dish.

I’ll post photos when I find the cable for Jared’s camera.

Roast Squash with Cranberries and Apples

1 Acorn Squash (or similar winter squash such as butternut)
4 oz fresh cranberries
2 medium-size apples (gala, granny smith, or other good baking apple)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 T. butter
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. thyme

• Quarter the acorn squash and remove the seats. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast in a shallow baking dish set on the middle rack of a 350º oven for 30 minutes or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
• Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes.
• Using a sharp paring knife, remove the skin and cut the flesh into 1/4″ cubes.
• Core the apples (you can leave the skins on or not, but I leave them) and chop into 1/4″ pieces.
• Toss the squash, apples, cranberries, butter and spices together in a large baking dish and return to the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until the cranberries have popped and the apples and squash are soft and tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Have a great week!

I meant to post this a few months ago, but seeing that just posted a recipe for pork chops, I think including these onions (which would go GREAT with the previous post) is appropriate.

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I asked Jared to pick up a main course for dinner from the grocery. I didn’t really care what it was, but when he brought home pork chops, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them: cover them in a sticky, spicy glaze and caramelized onions!

The process is simple, and the ingredients are probably in your pantry or fridge already.

Apple-Cider Quick Caramelized Onions
2 T. unsalted butter
1 Large Yellow or Brown Onion, sliced very thinly but in long pieces
1/4 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
2 T. granulated sugar

• Over low heat in a large saute pan, melt butter.
• When butter foam subsides, add onions and saute, stirring frequently. Add a pinch of kosher salt.
• After 8 – 10 minutes, the onions will begin to brown. At this stage, add half the apple cider vinegar. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any stuck on brown bits.
• Continue to cook until all the liquid is gone and the onions again begin to stick to the bottom, about five minutes. Add the rest of the vinegar.
• Continue stirring and cooking the onions for another five minutes or so. The onions should be sticky and sweet. Serve…with almost anything.

Living in San Diego means that we don’t get many clues for the changing of the seasons. Fall is just like any other month of the year: warm, clear, sunny. So instead of relying on the rain or changing leaves to tell me it’s the fall, I change my cooking habits.

So for the first posting in a long time, here’s a quick and simple way to enjoy the harvest season.

Marinated Pork Chops with Cranberry Sauce

For the cranberry sauce:
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 bag (12 oz) whole, fresh cranberries, rinsed
2 t. apple cider vinegar

And for the chops:

2 t. cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. ginger
2 t. thyme
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
1 T. kosher salt
1 t. black pepper
2 center cut, bone in pork chops, no more than 3/4″ thick.

First, for the cranberries:

• The cranberry sauce recipe comes straight off the back of the bag, except I add a little apple cider vinegar at the end. You can omit it if you like or substitute a little orange or apple juice.
• Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for 20-30 minutes until thick and all cranberries have popped.
• Cool for 10 minutes but keep warm.

Now the chops:

• Mix all ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag.
• Add pork chops and toss with the marinade to coat evenly. Let rest for up to 4 hours, but at least 30 minutes. If you’re going to marinate for more than an hour, place the chops in the refrigerator. Take them out to marinate on the counter an hour before you plan to cook them.
• Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet (cast iron is best) over medium heat. The oil should be very hot and shimmer in the pan. (You can add a small amount of pork fat to the pan and if it immediately begins to fry, you know the pan is ready)
• Add the pork chops to the pan and cook for about 6-8 minutes until the chops are nicely browned on the bottom. Turn over.
• Cook for another 4-6 minutes on the second side or until the chops are cooked through, but slightly pink in the middle.
• Allow the chops to rest for 5 minutes, then serve with cranberry sauce and applesauce.